Short wisdom stories from mystical traditions around the world – zen, tao, sufi and more
A nice reminder I think of the connection between creativity and fulfillment and love. “A man’s work is nothing but this slow trek to rediscover, through the detours of art, those two or three great and simple images in whose presence his heart first opened – Albert Camus
Today I was reminded of a simple idea from the writings of Richard Bach.  If you haven’t read any of his books you might like to. “Johnathan Livingston Seagull” and “Illusions” are among my favorites. Anyway, there’s something about the following quote that seems right.  I hope you enjoy it too. “True love stories never […]
This story reminds me of the importance of focus for attaining goals. A martial arts student approached his teacher with a question. “I’d like to improve my knowledge of the martial arts. In addition to learning from you, I’d like to study with another teacher in order to learn another style. What do you think […]
This simple story from the Taoist tradition reminds me of how simply some of our difficulties in life can be solved with a bit of wisdom and common sense. Â In this case the wise man simply uses his intelligence to avoid pain. Once there was a horse tied up on the side of the street. […]
Here’s a story that I came across recently and really enjoyed. It says a lot about integrity and leading by example. A woman once brought her son to visit Mahatma Ghandi, who was always willing to be visited by the people of India. She asked him to please tell her son that he should stop […]
One of my favorite books in the spiritual field is Dan Millman’s “The Way of The Peaceful Warrior.” There’s also a really good movie version of the book of the same title that was released a few years back.  They make for positive reading and viewing. For this “Wisdom Bite” I want to share a […]
Several years ago I attended a 10 day silent meditation retreat with my teacher in India.  I remember fondly how much I enjoyed the silence and the opportunity to simply watch my thoughts without giving them verbal form. I also remember how difficult it was for some of the group (we were about 200 people) […]
This story comes from the tradition of Zen Buddhist stories. I’m sharing it here because of how clearly it demonstrates that the real goal of spiritual practice is not to dominate, control or master physical reality on Earth. Instead, the goal is simply to rest in the fearlessness that comes from the peace of knowing […]
I saw this video the other day and it gave me a good laugh. A reminder to not take things so seriously. Have a healthy day! Mark
One of my favorite quotes from Gautama Buddha comes from a text known in Englilsh as the Diamond Sutra. I like to remember it when I start taking things too seriously.  Interestingly it’s the same teaching of Advaita Vedanta and The Course in Miracles. ” Regard this fleeting world like this: Like stars fading and […]